Last week the Lloyd Town Board approved their 2025 budget. The total in appropriations to run the town is $15,072,196 and the amount of revenues expected to come in is $5,086,778. The board is also tapping $682,400 of un-expended funds, which leaves $9,303,018 to be raised in taxes.  

 

After being over the two percent tax cap by $232,000, Supervisor Dave Plavchak said the board managed to reduce the budget so that the final budget for 2025 is below the tax cap by $32.26.

 

“Some of it came from us being able to go through this year’s  budget, find un-expended and make sure we weren’t putting the fund balance too high, so we’re able to move enough money to get ourselves under the cap,” he said.

Councilman Lenny Auchmoody thanked all who worked to bring in a budget under the tax cap.

 

“You guys worked hard and you did a wonderful job,” he said.

 

During privilege of the floor, Peter Maroldt, said he lives outside of the water and sewer districts in town and asked why his property taxes are going to go up higher than residents who live within the water and sewer districts.

Supervisor Dave Plavchak explained that if a resident lives within the water/sewer district there are three different rates, “the base rate which everybody in town pays and that stays the same whether you’re inside or outside of the district. Within the water/sewer district you get a separate tax for the water and sewer district for capital improvements and those are actually going down from last year. It’s not that they’re getting a tax break and you’re not, it’s that that rate for outside the water district is the same rate the people inside the water/sewer district pay and they have the extra water/sewer tax. So if yours goes up four percent theirs goes up four percent for that base tax.”

 

Moldt estimated that his taxes, based on a $300,000 assessment,  are going up by $202, “whereas the other ones are less than that.” Plavchak agreed, “because they still get the benefit this year, but don’t always get it, of their water/sewer taxes going down this year.”

 

Plavchak said that Moldt does not pay water/sewer taxes, “so yours can’t go down because you’re not in the district.” Plavchak encouraged Moldt to stop by his office when he can explain this in more detail.    

 

“But basically you have a base rate for everybody in town no matter where you live, inside or outside the district and that rate is the same for everybody and goes up the same for everybody and some years it goes down the same amount for everybody. The water/sewer district is an added tax if you’re within the district and that can go up or down every year. It’s not that you’re paying more base tax than they are, it’s the same.”

 

Town attorney Sean Murphy said if Moldt’s house is assessed at $300,000, “and you’re outside the water/sewer district and your taxes are going to go up $202, a house inside the water district also assessed at $300,000, their base tax is going to go up by $202. Then on top of that people inside the water district are going to pay that tax and if they’re inside the sewer district they’re going to pay the taxes for that district. So their taxes from this year to next year are going to go up more than yours.” Plavchak added that, “based on their last year’s tax, if the water/sewer tax went down, theirs could go down. It’s a year to year comparison and yes, inside and outside the water/sewer district that additional tax may be less this year than it was last year.”